Happy Friday! Hope you've all had an inspiring week.
I've got to be honest. I've been in my head a little bit this week. And I've got to tell you...it's a trap.
The funny thing is, I know this. Yet somehow it's still easy to find myself there.
And as per usual, the Universe had a message for me. I was having dinner Wednesday night with my boyfriend and his daughter. We ordered Pick Up Stix, and I'm a sucker for a fortune cookie. I opened mine and it read:
"Your patience will lead to unexpected fulfillment."
I immediately tucked it into my phone case so I could keep seeing it throughout the week.
I'd like to think I'm a pretty patient girl. Hell, I live in Los Angeles. Between the traffic and the people, you either learn patience or your nervous system is working overtime. But that little fortune had me thinking about patience in other areas of my life.
I'm human, just like everyone else. It's natural to want something and want it yesterday. How many of you have looked at where you are today, compared it to where you want to be, and started searching for the shortcut?
Guilty.
The thing is...there really aren't any shortcuts.
Growth has a pace of its own, and it's incredibly easy to convince ourselves to give up simply because things aren't moving as quickly as we'd hoped.
Unpopular opinion: they almost never do. That doesn't mean there's anything wrong with us or the dreams we're chasing. It simply means life isn't as linear as we'd like it to be.
I'm a spiritual girlie, so I absolutely believe in manifestation and the Law of Attraction. But I also believe in intention, consistency, and doing the work. Even if it's a tiny step forward, it's still a step in the direction you want to go.
Yesterday I was listening to one of Lewis Howes' podcasts while I was driving and then continued listening during my walk. His guest was Dr. James Doty, whose work fascinates me because he studies the intersection of neuroscience and manifestation.
One thing he said really stuck with me.
“It's not a lack of capability that holds us back. It's fear.”
Hell yes it is. Mix fear with a little impatience, and you've got the perfect recipe for talking yourself out of the very life you're trying to build.
I mean, most of the battles we fight never actually happen outside of us. They happen in our minds.
We tell ourselves we're behind.
We're not talented enough.
We're too old.
We're too late.
Everyone else has it figured out.
Before long, we've created a story that feels so real, we stop moving altogether. Hell, I catch myself doing that sometimes.
Wondering if I'm doing enough.
Wondering if I'm moving fast enough.
Wondering if I'm making the right decisions.
None of those thoughts actually move me forward. They just keep me stuck inside my own head. Then I started thinking about something else. Most of the things we consider "messed up" in our lives didn't happen overnight. They were built one thought, one habit, one decision at a time.
The same is true when we're trying to create something beautiful.
Confidence doesn't appear overnight.
Trust doesn't appear overnight.
A fulfilling life doesn't appear overnight.
They all require the same ingredients: time, consistency, and patience.
If you know me at all - and many of you do - you know that by whatever miracle happened, I have what's called dispositional optimism. (Don't think I'm trying to sound smart...I literally learned that term from the podcast yesterday. 😂) It simply means I naturally believe things will work out.
There are things I know I want to create in my life. I don't know exactly how they'll happen yet, but I trust that if I keep showing up, I'll eventually meet the life I'm building. That belief gives me peace.
Because the alternative is spending my days repeating stories like:
"Nothing ever works out."
"I'm not good enough."
"I can't do this."
Our minds are incredible storytellers. And if we're not careful, those stories can become our cages. The question is whether the stories they're telling are actually true.
Because here's what I believe:
I believe we are all incredibly capable of greatness. I believe every one of us has the capacity to create a life that is peaceful, loving, open, and kind.
Maybe that's what the fortune cookie was trying to remind me of.
Patience isn't sitting around waiting for life to happen.
Patience is continuing to believe in yourself while you're doing the work.
If you've been feeling stuck in your own head lately, you're not alone. Sometimes we don't need more information. We need someone to help us untangle the stories we've been telling ourselves.
If that's where you are, I have a few coaching spots available, and I'd love to walk alongside you. Together, we'll quiet the noise, reconnect with your inner wisdom, and help you build a life rooted in self-worth instead of fear.
3 comments
Recommended Listening:
Nine Inch Nails Echoplex
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I read the post and the comment. Solitude isn’t always bad. You can go to a concert and feel a connection with the audience, even if you don’t personally live with them or associate with them regularly. I went to a Toadies concert yesterday at The Norva. It was quite awesome and fun. They’re promoting a new album. I’m on such a tight budget, but I see I have a lot of new music to buy. My technology doesn’t work like it’s supposed to. I think Trump has something to do with that too. I can’t transfer music from my phones to my PS3. My PS3 remotes never stay charged. I buy new phone cords and the transfer of files is still very “iffy.” Technology seems rigged. Intent obsolescence built into the system. I’ll probably have to find a nice place I can be creative and noisy without bothering people, but it’s important to socialize more often and probably have more relaxing quiet time. Sometimes that quiet time is actually me playing music pretty loud. Been listening to Linkin Park Meteora/Hybrid Theory on loop for a while. Speaking of things we tell ourselves. I’ve never been the kind to write deep introspective songs. Not very thoughtful with my words. I mean most of the stuff I put out so far is crap. Then I actually try to practice guitar a little. I know I have perceived limitations. I can’t think super intelligently at will. My arm hurts so I haven’t been going to the gym much. Uncle Sam has no further use for me. I look for a God who cares because I don’t think humans are programmed to care. They are Borg. They are assimilated. They chase what they’re told to chase after and society rewards them. Anti-social thinking maybe. I want what everybody else seems to want. I think God wants even better things for society, but I ain’t all that righteous. I mean I can’t help it if I am more righteous than I wanted to be. I always saw all the pretty women and thought about the super experiences I could have. Maybe the world has more Christian standards than I do. You have to care about and know them really well. It’s like marriage is almost constructed into the system. I guess it’s too expensive emotionally and financially to entertain other routes. I want God to be realler. Maybe I want myself to be realler. Maybe I just want to feel. Depswa Silhouette is a good song. Humans are like planets. We usually don’t collide. There’s usually a good amount of distance. Earth has life. Others are frozen and barren or scorched. I’m being dogmatic. Life could exist in multiple forms we aren’t familiar with. Perhaps these revelations are already being concealed from the general public. Working moles, bodies born to be exploited for financial gain. F the system.
Hey girl ty 😊 sooo much for being real and sharing. The person you continue to be is amazing. Im learning to not be so hard on myself. To accept who I am even though Im not perfect. Music is oneof the ways that I soothe my anxious soul it always has been. Im starting to trust the process and myself. I deserve all the love I have put i to my kids and marriage
Your words really made me think about my own life.
I’ve spent so much time wanting to find people I could call my friends—people I could talk to, people I could share things with, people who would feel like my own little community. I’ve kept trying to meet people and build those connections, but it never worked out.
Everyone seems to have at least one person they can call a friend, someone they can talk to. I don’t have that.
I haven’t believed in myself for a very long time. Honestly, I don’t know how to believe in myself anymore.
But I still want friends. Even though I’ve been alone for so long, I’ve never stopped wishing I didn’t have to be alone.
So I try again. I take another step, hoping that maybe this time things will be different.
But the result is always the same.
And then I repeat the whole thing again.
I don’t believe in myself anymore, but I can’t seem to stop trying either.
The Law of Attraction is such a beautiful idea, but I’ve reached a point where I don’t know if I can believe in it anymore.
I don’t want to be alone, yet I’ve been alone for so long.
Because I don’t want to be alone, I keep trying.
I always try to change the way I think. I try to look at things differently, to tell myself that maybe things can change.
But nothing changes.
I’m still alone. No one is there.
Sometimes I’ve come to believe that maybe that’s simply how things are supposed to be for someone like me. I’ve spent so long being reminded of how deeply flawed and unworthy I can feel.
But music has saved me.
I can’t make music myself, so I’m just a professional listener. 😂
There is so much incredible music in this world. I’ve listened to so many different genres, and music has brought so much meaning into my life.
Music really is an amazing thing.
Although, ironically, the more songs I fall in love with, the more lonely I sometimes feel. 😂
Snoop Dogg is so much fun. Sweden’s AVATAR is incredible and so much fun to listen to. The rockabilly metal that VOLBEAT from Denmark creates feels so good to listen to. Insane Clown Posse is insanely cool. And I absolutely love Marvin Gaye.
But the music that reaches deepest into my heart, the music that I truly, deeply love from the bottom of my heart, is COLD’s music.
Lindsay, thank you for being in COLD.
And thank you for sharing your thoughts and your heart with us. Your words reached someone on the other side of the world. ❤️
…I’m sorry to bring this up here, but I also wanted to ask you about something regarding the COLDARMY Facebook group.
I used to be able to make posts there and share my thoughts, but now my posts seem to be stuck with this message:
“Waiting for administrator approval
5 posts. Click here for details.”
So I’m no longer able to post anything…
I’ve sent messages to a few of the COLDARMY administrators, but it seems like they may not have seen them.
Maybe I somehow did something inappropriate without realizing it. I really don’t know.
Honestly, I’m perfectly happy just being able to read everyone’s posts and see what other COLD fans are sharing. ❤️
But if you happen to know what might be causing this, or if there’s anything I can do to resolve it, I would really appreciate it if you could let me know.
And I’m sorry for bringing something like this to you here! 😅
One last thing—I don’t speak English, so I’m using ChatGPT to help me translate my thoughts into English. I hope my words come across the way I mean them to. 😊